


The Rocking Chair on the Porch

by EmmaLuLuChu



Series: Discord Oneshots [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Flashback, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Season/Series 02 Spoilers, i was just eating at Cracker Barrel and came up with a Sad, mostly focuses on Keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 15:46:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9664076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmmaLuLuChu/pseuds/EmmaLuLuChu
Summary: Something new happens during their mind meld sessions.*SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2*





	

**Author's Note:**

> literally this morning i went to eat at Cracker Barrel and could not get this thought out of my head. Bless Wonky for going along w this,,,

As a daily part of their training the team still did the mind melding technique that Coran first guided them on when they first struggled to form Voltron, as a way to exercise their trust with each other. At first it had been no different than before and they visualized the same things, but one day a new image appeared that none of them had seen before within Lance’s mind.

It was more like a video on loop than an image, displaying a scene of Lance beaming as confetti poppers went off and he was swarmed by people, a congratulations banner strung up behind him. Afterwards everybody had stared in shock because of the newness of it, a look of longing stuck on Lance’s face that crumpled when Hunk shuffled closer and pulled him into much needed hug.

The next time it was Pidge’s image that changed, once more becoming a video of sorts. They were in a kitchen, the scattered pieces of a toaster littering the table, being lectured alongside their brother as they stared with a pouty frown at their father. They’d been quiet for a time after that session, seeking comfort later by pressing into Shiro’s side in a silent question to be held.

Hunk was the next one, an almost perfect loop of a younger him eagerly following along with the steps of the man by his side, his graying hair and tattooed skin easily signifying their relationship. Unlike the others, there was a warm smile on Hunk’s face afterwards, but still welcomed the hugs he was offered.

They had worries for when Shiro had his turn, unsure of whether to expect a painful memory of the prison or something he wouldn’t remember afterwards. Instead the clip was a warm send off from both of his mothers, pressing kisses to his cheeks and making him promise to come home safe. It was the first and probably only time they would see him cry, but they were glad it was tears of happiness.

The only one who hadn’t changed their image yet was Keith. Every time that shot of the shack in the desert would appear he always had that same sorrowful furrow to his eyebrows and stiff frown, until they encountered the Blade of Marmora.

Finally the shack disappeared, changing now to a younger Keith that grinned as he beat his father at checkers surrounded by rocking chairs.

None of them had expected the way Keith would curl up and _sob_ , that they would have to engulf the typical loner and calm him, or that he would finally willingly open up to them about his past.

*

_Keith giggled as his Pops scooped him out of the rickety car he drove, eagerly bouncing on the spot as he locked the car._

_“Hurry up! Before someone takes our checker spot!”_

_Pops did that deep chuckle, the one he only ever used towards Keith, ruffling at his hair once he put his keys in his pocket._

_“We’ll be fine, it’s not that busy today.”_

_Keith huffed in mock frustration, remembering to take the hand Pops offered as they crossed the relatively short parking lot, lighting up when he saw close to nobody mingling at the expansive front porch of Cracker Barrel._

_He continued to bounce as they walked through the cluttered store to put in for a table for two, half-dragging and half-yanking them back out to the front and climbing into the rocking chair he secretly hoped Pops would buy one day, quickly setting up the tiny wooden discs as the other settled into the one across the barrel table._

_“So are we doing bets again?”_

_Keith snickered as he finished (the brown pieces for him and the white pieces for Pops,_ always _), shooting him a mischievous look._

_“Yeah! You go first!”_

_Pops hummed, rubbing at his nose, “Same as always, I win and you don’t get to order off the dessert menu.” one look from Keith had him sighing though, knowing he was bored with the same one bet, “_ And _no ordering off the breakfast menu.” the one moment of horror in his eyes making the older man laugh._

 _Keith shook off the look, smirking far too well for a seven-and-a-half year old as he threw out his bet, “If I win, you let me get a cup of coffee!” Pops always got the strongest brew they had and poured three creamers in along with five packets of sugar, and he’d wanted to try it for the longest time but was denied each time he asked but_ this time _he’d get what he wanted._

_He was too busy maniacally laughing to see the look of ‘what the hell have I gotten myself into’ that stretched across Pops face, calming after a minute to see him resigned to the fate that would occur._

_“Alright then, first move’s on you.”_

_Somehow Keith had become an_ expert _at checkers, unaware that the first few times they played his Pops had let him win until the child just simply got better at it. The older man hadn’t won a game since Keith was 5 and first learning the rules, and even then that was the only time he’d been triumphant._

_As expected, the child won, cheering in victory as he snatched up Pops last playing piece and carefully set it on the stack on his left side. The adult just sighed as their party number was called on the loudspeaker, Keith skipping as they walked in to their table._

_As promised Pops ordered two cups of coffee, dumping creamer and sugar into both, and reminding him to be careful because it was still hot. Even though Keith carefully blew on the hot liquid and took a small sip it somehow wound up everywhere when he spat it out, because he had_ not _expected it to taste like that even when loaded with extra things, he tried and failed not to cry when Pops said he could still get a bottle of root beer._

*

After that, the tension that had been in Keith’s shoulders had finally gone away, wiping at the dried tears tracks on his cheeks, and quietly finished by telling them how the day his father left he had found that rocking chair he always wanted sitting out on the front porch of the shack.

They all began to write a list of places they would need to visit once the universe finally got saved and they could take a ‘vacation’, visiting and eating at a Cracker Barrel was at the top of the list.

**Author's Note:**

> now just imagine Keith owning them all at checkers (it's a tie between him and Pidge) and Lance can't stop cracking southern stereotype jokes


End file.
